You know me – I’m always down for some gorgeous music. Chances are you’re just the same in that regard, so let me assure you that you came to the exact right place to have that itch scratched today. Italian dream pop/indie folk musician Charlie Risso is premiering the music video for her new single “The Light” through Everything Is Noise, and I couldn’t be more pleased about it.
Since 2016, Risso has brought the world two albums’ worth of music that sits comfortably between the likes of Angelo Badalamenti, Lana Del Rey, Mazzy Star, or Nick Drake. This should give you an idea of what kind of atmosphere you can expect from Ruins of Memory (2016) and Tornado (2020). Her new EP The Light will be out on November 4, and if its title track is any indication, it will effortlessly carry the momentum of her previous releases into another cycle.
“The Light” is a delightful, floaty piece mainly built around a minimalistic beat, guitars, and Risso’s warm, affecting voice. It’s the kind of song you could easily come to associate with a comforting moment in time thanks to its delicate, softly enveloping nature.
The accompanying music video, directed by Emanuele Cova, builds an effective imagery out of simple contrasts like light and dark, fire and rain. It sees Risso herself embodying and living through each of these states, ultimately stepping over the threshold into… well, the light. It’s not the most complicated video, narratively, but its clarity suits the candid music very well. Here’s what Risso has to say about both her song and the video that was created for it:
‘The light is a path that leads to a higher stage spiritually and creatively. It’s about going through various stages of one’s existence. It’s about a work on one’s own awareness, abandoning the critical issues that put us in difficulty in life.
‘In the music video, this passage is metaphorically represented by myself crossing the various earthly realities represented by the natural elements; fire, water, earth and finally air, reaching a place where I hope to find inner peace also abandoning earthly futility. It is not strictly religious even if it looks a lot like heaven.
‘Let yourself be carried away by the light.‘
Of course, we can’t go without letting the director get a word in as well:
‘It has been and honor and privilege to work again with such a talented and amazing artist like Charlie. She always leaves me free to express my ideas and let me direct a breathtaking storytelling that attempts to make the video look like a real dramatic film.
‘My main idea for this music video was to represent Charlie’s spiritual journey from darkness to light, her passage from the 4 elements (air, fire, water, earth) to enlightenment. That’s why I choose a long take through the 4 set ups, intercut it with her ascent to the light. Shooting in studio helped me to use a lot of special effects and above all to control the cinematography.
‘I had a delightful time directing “The Light”. Charlie has proved me again to be a wonderful actress besides a great musician.‘
Photo credit: Silvia Badalotti
I found a lot of joy in writing about Charlie Risso and her work for this premiere, so I hope some of that same energy translated to you reading this. As I said earlier, Risso’s upcoming EP The Light will be out on November 4, and I’ll make sure to keep an eye out for it on that day – perhaps you will, too. Be sure to follow Risso on Instagram, and to have a look at her website.
Featured image courtesy of Silvia Badalotti; header image courtesy of Emanuele Cova
